Inspired by another thread, I had some questions for the group about using fluorescent lights on your layout.
If you use fluorescent lights, which type(s) do you use? Warm White, Cool White, Daylight, or something else?
Have you ever experienced any problems with the UV output fading plastic or other materials? (I remember reading about this problem somewhere, but I think it involved the use of the grow lights, which are ‘tuned’ to give off a lot of UV, which is great for growing plants, but not so much for plastics and fabrics.)
I have a 4X8 layout and I had a 4 tube flourescent fxture put in over the center. The tubes were a new color variety that approached the color temp of the sun. They cost about double the cost of a regular bulb. They are great for photography. I had the fixture wired with two switches so I only use both when I need a lot of light. A problem I have is that there is no direct light from the edges of the layout making it hard to see when placing steamers on the track.
I was one of those fortunate ones, who was able to build a 24’x24’ garage, with inside stairway to the loft, where I have built an around the room layout. The hip-roof studs angle from about 28 inches above the edges of the top of the layout, to the cross-ties, which are 7ft.4in. above the floor. I am glad that (before layout construction began, I completely tiled the suspended ceiling with 24"x48" acoustic tiles, (except for the ten (double tube plug in shop lights, that are screwed to the cross ties). The tubes are thus, about 8 inches from the 2’x4’ knobby transluscent panels, (which diffuse the light, fairly uniformly.) In some ways, (for dimming and photography), I wish that I had used cannister lighting, but “original and operational costwise” and “heatwise”, the “twenty” 4 foot fluorescent tubes, are fine! Maybe,(someday), I will be able to afford the tinted tubes. Now to get back to the topic of side lighting. On our Historical Museum Layout, we are going to have (an around the layout) nine inch luan “ceiling fascia”. The single-tube fluorescent lights placed inside the fascia, will provide uniform lighting throughout.
Yep. I use the GE 40 watt residential bulbs. Haven’t had them up long enough to notice any fading. The only problem I have is if the temp drops too low they have a hard time coming on.
I use CFLs spaced about 2 foot apart. They are mostly 9 and 11 watt bulbs that are the equivalent of 25 and 40 watt incandesents. They are 2700°K roughly the same color as standard incandesent light bulbs. I used to have shoplights over the layout. I am currently using about 200w in the old train room rather than the 160w from the 2 old shoplights. This has definately improved the lighting as it is a better color and much better color rendering with the new bulbs. I put them in similar to how Joe Fugate does (only he uses dimmer curcuits and incandesent bulbs). I did not not notice much color fading in the 20 years I had the shoplights down there so I’m not really worried about that. I was able to get most of the CFLs at a local Dollar store for $1 each (that’s cheaper than most incandesents today). As LED technology progresses there will be LED replacements for standard incandescent lights (there are some already) that may be even better. What ever you do, do not use standard shoplights. They cause headaches in some people and the color rating is terrible!
Here is a quick shot of the lighting above my layout in the new room:
Valences have been added after these photos were taken.
I use four 27 watt spiral daylight bulbs. Two of them are in a double socket above the layout extension and the other two are in separate sockets about 30 inches apart over the main part of the layout. This is the only lighting I use for my layout photography.
Indeed if you use Shoplights (usually around 4200K and have a color rendering index of 60 to 70) It will make your layout look like crap. The color rendering index is the most important. Ultimately I will replace the ones I have now with ones that are around a CRI of 90. For those people who are using regular fluorescent tubes, if you replace them with “Daylight” bulbs with a high CRI, you will be amazed at the difference. CRI of 85 or higher is considered excellent. The bulbs I have now are rated at a CRI of 81 to 84 depending on the bulb. Avoid the “Stark White” fluorescent tubes.
Chroma 50 spec bulbs come highly recommended for accurate color rendering. These are what I switched to and I’ve been very happy with them. These are rated at 5000 K color temperature. The Chroma 50 is a GE designation but Sylvania and others also make the equivalent.
I have 10 track lights, each with a 60w incandescent flood reflector in it. I tried the equivalent flourescent floods, which were only about 15w apiece. Unfortunately, my layout is in a windowless, poorly-vented room. The fumes given off by the flourescents (probably ozone) were very toxic, and made me ill after about 15 minutes in the layout room. I was forced to go back to the incandescents. If I had a decent ventilation system, I’d go with the flourescents in a heartbeat, but otherwise, not. I may try the regular CF non-reflector bulbs somewtime in the future, but not until spring, when the weather is getting warm again…
My layout room, about 560 sq. ft., is lit by 16 four foot double tube fixtures. When the second level of the layout is built, another eight fixtures will be added. I use Cool White tubes because they give the highest output of lumens. While the colour rendition is not as good as tubes like the Chroma 50 type, most digital cameras can compensate for the colour shift. Over 25 years ago I had a smaller layout illuminated by four 4’ double fixtures, with colour-balanced tubes. At that time, those tubes were about $15.00 each. While the light was very pleasant, and fairly bright, too, it would’ve been a bit too expensive for the current layout. I trust that the cost of these has come down a bit? [swg]
I think mine are the daylight but I used the defusers and would think the effect on color would be minimal.
I mounted them end to end but fell short about a foot at each end of the layout and it is noticable. Won’t do that again. Each of these units is a double tube.
You have me thinking about the different effects I could create. Could I instal one white and one blue tube to change the hue on the layout? I wonder what effect that would have, or maybe a red or orange tube for sunrise or sunset. ???
Last time I bought some at the big box, 5000K tubes were around $8 each, IIRC. I think I found some on sale a dollar less about that time. Yes, they will run you a little more than a high moving item like Cool White bulbs, but they are worth it. After all, the camera will make it look right when you want to take a picture, but you’d probably prefer to see it right, all the time, right?
Also, I didn’t go out and spend money replacing almost new bulbs. I did a long period of construction, putting hours on my cheap Cool Whites. But once I started doing more scenery, they needed replacing anyway. Looking at the investment that way, I only had to justify the extra cost over and above what replacement Cool Whites would have cost. I also didn’t do them all at once, but as I progressed around the layout.
Good point, Mike. It’s nice to see that the price has come down, too. There is quite a difference in the light output (lumens), though, and the one fault with all fluorescent lighting is that the light is very “flat”. Many of the details seem to disappear under fluorescents, and shadows are very indistinct, if present at all. Of course, the camera corrects for this too, and many details invisible in person, like dust and cobwebs on rolling stock, show up really well in photos. [swg] The two photos below show the results without correction:
Gee, I must be a little behind, I still use candles…
Thinking about upgrading to oil lamps.
Not really. I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD)(lack of sun), so all the bulbs are fluorescent full daylight spectrum in the house. They may cost more and have a different glow than ordinary bulbs or fluorescent bubls, but are what I need.
I’ve heard that they’re trying to do this in England.
The environmentalist in my is conflicted by that. On the one had CFLs are good. On the other hand, too many laws are bad. I don’t like being told what I can and can’t buy. I’m still an American patriot, and I’m not into government regulating my home.
